Old Friends, New Journeys

In the cave abode, Su Yao let out a long breath and put down the pen in his hand.

Looking at the scroll of Daoist scripture on the table in front of him, and then at the one placed to the side, he thought to himself: In the past month, he had copied thirty volumes of Daoist scripture from memory.

These Daoist scriptures, along with those written by Zhang Ziyan and the other four, plus some by Zilin and Yang Xiu, are enough for those disciples to study in the future Mystery Opening Stage.

Daoist Gate cultivation is not something that can be accomplished overnight, nor is it simply about practicing the methods without cultivating the Tao.

Then Su Yao got up, took an empty Storage Bag, put the many Daoist scriptures into it, and left the cave abode, heading down the mountain.

As Su Yao passed the octagonal pavilion halfway up the mountain, he paused slightly.

A month ago, when Gui Hong left, they were not present, but the scene outside the mountain at that time, coupled with Su Yao and Gui Hong not coming down from the mountain for a long time, and then seeing Gui Hong leave.

Seeing that Su Yao made no move in the back mountain, Zilin and the others naturally guessed what was going on, but said nothing. They simply prepared a small banquet that night and silently comforted him with the sounds of flutes, zithers, and pipa.

As he passed by the empty pavilion again, it was precisely:

Old friends no longer come, the pavilion stands deserted; the clear breeze still carries the old poems of yesteryear.

Who knew that the moon over the Pear Garden tonight would once illuminate the heart of the jade flute?

After all, due to the reasons of their respective lineages, and because the Yang Xiu Laoshan Dao Lineage on Zilin 'Zilin side did not intend to assign her a Dharma realm, they naturally did not take in any Dharma protectors; while Yang Xiu did not mention this matter much.

As for Xuan Yan, Ying Qi, Mo Li, not all of their protectors have gone south yet; some are still in seclusion.

But ultimately they all wanted to establish their own separate residences outside, so they left half a month ago.

With this in mind, Su Yao suppressed his thoughts and continued towards the disciples' quarters below.

"A clear mind leads to a pure Void Clarity nature. Externally, cease all external influences; internally, reflect upon yourself."

Behind the bamboo grove of the hermitage, Su Yao paused to listen quietly, nodding slightly. These were the opening four lines of the "Clarifying the Mind Chapter" of the Great Hua Scripture, concise yet clearly explaining the foundation of the beginning of cultivation: Cultivating the Way begins with cultivating the mind; if the mind is not pure, all dharmas are empty.

Then I heard the disciples recite:

"Those who study the Way should first understand its essence. The essence is the mind. When the mind is upright, the Way exists; when the mind is wicked, the Way perishes. Therefore, the key to cultivating the Way is nothing more than rectifying the mind."

After hearing this, Su Yao did not linger and strode towards the study.

As he pushed open the bamboo door, the sound of recitation abruptly stopped.

When Li Siyi, who was seated at the head of the table, saw Su Yao arrive, her face lit up with joy. She was about to speak when Su Yao waved his hand and said nothing more, simply offering her the seat of honor.

Several disciples looked up and, upon seeing Su Yao, were initially taken aback before rising to their feet and bowing.

Su Yao waved his hand, gesturing for everyone to sit down.

He then took his seat in the main seat, placed the Storage Bag on the table, glanced at everyone, and said calmly:

"Starting tomorrow, you will practice with the five instructors in the morning, study Daoist scriptures in the afternoon, practice various skills according to your own expertise, and practice alone in the evening."

He paused, his gaze lingering on Zichuan's face for a moment, then sweeping over Ren Han before settling on Lu Yuan's simple and honest face, before continuing:

"Cultivating the Tao is like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you fall behind. Don't waste these years in the mountains."

The disciples below readily accepted the order.

Su Yao nodded and said:

"You should continue studying the Daoist scriptures."

Then he looked at Li Siyi:

"Come with me."

After speaking, he got up and went outside.

Seeing this, Li Siyi quickly followed.

Li Siyi followed Su Yao all the way to the Embracing Rosy Clouds Hall, where Su Yao turned around and looked at Li Siyi:

"Have these disciples behaved themselves over the past month or so?"

Upon hearing this, Li Siyi replied:

"They all have a heart that yearns for the Way."

Su Yao nodded upon hearing this:

"Having the will to pursue the Way is good. Even if one's aptitude is lacking, Qixia Temple is not incapable of giving them a chance. But without that will to pursue the Way, it's difficult."

He paused and then asked:

Have these disciples been behaving strangely lately?

Li Siyi pondered for a moment before saying:

"Apart from Ren Han, even the scions of the Yang and Li families got along well with the others; there were no other unusual occurrences."

Su Yao nodded upon hearing this, and then said:

"That Storage Bag contains thirty volumes of Daoist scriptures that I've written in the past month; they will be indispensable for future Daoist scripture teachings."

After a pause, he continued:

"You should go back and continue teaching them."

"Yes," Li Siyi replied, then turned and left.

But just as he was about to step out of the palace gate, he heard Su Yao say:

"Call Ren Han here, I have some questions for him."

Li Siyi nodded upon hearing this, and then quickened her pace toward the hermitage.

Su Yao the only one left in the hall. He looked ahead with a puzzled expression. He thought to himself, "There is nothing unusual about this... Ren Han is just a bit aloof. But since he is Heavenly Element Child and has come to visit Qixia Temple, I should try to find out more. I can't ask him directly, so I'll try to get his information indirectly."

Su Yao pondered for a long time about Heavenly Element Child, but ultimately decided not to let her reveal everything.

After all, there have been quite a few Heavenly Element Child throughout history, but those forces that thought they were invincible because they had Heavenly Element Child, and who thought they could act recklessly because they knew the future, ultimately harmed the schemes of the powerful figures behind the scenes, and all of them suffered a crushing defeat.

Furthermore, the Heavenly Element has its limits. If the Supreme Deity Haotian had been in power back then and personally bestowed Heavenly Element, it would naturally be different. However, the Emperor has been gone for many years.

After all, the reincarnations that Heavenly Element Child encountered were all futures seen through the divination of the Heavenly Governance, but they could not foresee the thoughts and actions of the True Lord.

Later, a Jade Emperor emerged, but his origins are unknown. If the Haotian Pagoda had not actively recognized him, he would not have been able to take over the Heavenly Court.

However, it is clear that the other party is definitely not the master of the Heavenly Governance Fruition Position, and thus remained like a wooden figure on a table, not venturing out of the Precious Hall of Lingxiao.

After all, the Investiture of the Gods the Gods was destroyed over the weekend, and now only a few gods remain in the three departments of Fighting, Thunder, and Wealth. Moreover, since the departure of God, the God-Beating Whip has also disappeared, and no one can command them without limit.

The reason why the Daoist Gate was because when the Investiture of the Gods was established, there was an oath made with the Daoist Gate, and in addition, it was originally from the Mysterious Gate.

This is why all the gods on the list, regardless of who ascended to the throne first or last, must obey the orders of the Three Pure Ones of the Mysterious Gate. Otherwise, no one can command them. Even so, commanding them is not as simple as it was when the God-Beating Whip was still in use.

However, later, the three patriarchs joined forces with the four celestial masters to add another layer of restrictions. The four ancestral celestial masters even moved to Heavenly Court and blocked the Hall of Complete Illumination day and night. Later generations of celestial masters did the same, which allowed Daoist Gate disciples to build altars to summon the gods to borrow their power.

Just as Su Yao was pondering, Ren Han had already arrived outside the hall and called out loudly:

"Disciple Ren Han greets the Prefect!"

Upon hearing this, Su Yao snapped out of his reverie and smiled:

"Come in, no need for formalities."

Upon hearing this, Ren Han stepped into the hall.

He immediately bowed in respect.

"I wonder what important matter the abbot has summoned me for?"

Su Yao waved his hand upon hearing this:

"I heard from Siyi that you are a bit withdrawn. I wonder if you're comfortable staying on the mountain?"